Collective punishment in Gaza will not bring security in Israel

Wednesday 6 February 2008

Ramallah, 06-02-08: In response to today’s announcement by the Israeli government that it will further reduce the amount of electricity it sells to Gaza from tomorrow, a move sanctioned by Israel’s High Court in a ruling last week, Dr. Barghouthi MP, Secretary General of the Palestinian National Initiative, declared that “inflicting collective punishment on the people of Gaza will not bring security to Israel”. He added that “only a negotiated, comprehensive and reciprocal ceasefire can bring security and initiate a real peace process.”

Dr. Barghouthi explained that the Palestinians have repeatedly offered such a reciprocal ceasefire, which Israel has continuously rejected. “Israel uses security as a pretext for its aggression against Palestinians and to evade any commitments to peace,” he declared. “Their idea of a peace process is to entrench divisions among the Palestinians. Meanwhile, the Israeli military has killed 169 Palestinians since Annapolis; 48 members of the Palestinian Parliament are in jail for the crime of having been democratically elected; and now the siege on Gaza which violates international law is being ‘legalised’ by the Israeli Supreme Court,” he went on. “This behaviour is in no way consistent with a genuine desire for peace; it is a war against the Palestinian people. In truth, the Palestinians do not have a partner for peace.”

Dr. Barghouthi stated that “the Israeli Supreme Court is lending Israel’s occupation judicial backing that violates international humanitarian and human rights law.” He explained that this ruling was just one more part of a long-running pattern: the decision to authorise the construction of the Wall in opposition to the July 2004 advisory opinion issued by the International Court of Justice in The Hague, which termed the Wall illegal and called for its dismantlement; the legalization of many Israeli settlements, all of which are illegal under international law; the green light to extrajudicial killing of Palestinians in blatant violation of international law.